“Change can be difficult, but it’s how we grow. It can be the hardest thing to realize you can’t hold on to something forever. Sometimes, you have to let it go.”

Anne Boonchuy, Amphibia

It’s March and we are well into the second semester of the 2022-2023 school year. The change in semester, however, has been anything but dull with many major events taking place in the weeks following the end of the first semester.

Speaking of the first semester, students took their first and second period finals Jan. 20, as well as their third and fourth period finals Jan. 23, with a makeup day being established for Jan. 24 for any students who needed to take a makeup final, with all other students having the day off as the first semester came to an end.

The Freedom Family hosted a fundraiser to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1. T-shirts were sold during fourth period classes for $10 a shirt, with anyone who purchased a shirt being given a Ukrainian Flag card to show their support.

The funds raised during the fundraiser were donated to the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America during halftime of the Boys’ Basketball game Feb. 6.

The Freedom Family were not the only ones holding a fundraiser, with the Asian American Alliance also holding a sale from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Sales took place outside the cafeteria where club members sold red envelopes filled with fortunes, Asian candies and more.

The Freedom Environmental Awareness Team (FEAT) also ran a sale of its own Earth Day themed T-shirts from Feb. 6 to Feb. 14, with shirts being $10 each. Any shirts that were purchased during this time were delivered to the period of the buyers’ choosing and sales would go toward buying supplies for FEAT, most notably plants to decorate the wooden benches found around Freedom.

The Special Olympics were held Feb. 7 for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students with disabilities played a game of basketball in the gym. The event was also staffed by over 100 students who volunteered their time and energy toward the event.

An open house Feb. 15 gave parents the opportunity to see the classes their children were taking during the second semester, as well as meet with the teachers of these classes.

The National Honors Society, cooperating with the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, held a blood drive Feb. 23 in the Aerobics room with NHS members once again being able to volunteer for shifts during the school day. Appointments were held from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. for anyone who wanted to donate blood.

Freedom held its annual Coffee House performance March 2 in the Right Cafeteria, where students were able to play a musical piece of their choosing while those who paid the $5 ticket price were treated to unlimited coffee, sweets and other refreshments.

The SAT’s were held March 11 for anyone who was registered to take the test.